'Personal Anger' Drives Mercedes Team Principal To Deliver Hamilton His Eighth Title

Thursday, 16 November 2023 at 05:00

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Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff shared he is committed to delivering Lewis Hamilton the eighth World Championship title, which he "should have had."

Mercedes F1 team went downhill after it lost the Drivers' Championship in the 2021 season. The team did not build the best car for the 2022 technical regulations and has suffered until now as a consequence.

Hamilton lost his eighth World Championship title on the final lap of the final race of the 2021 season and was surely looking forward to competing for it again, but did not get that chance so far.

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Red Bull built a super-dominant car, and nobody has been able to challenge the team for the past two seasons. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff recently told Yahoo Sports:

"We are living in a hamster wheel where time passes so quickly that it doesn’t feel like it has been two years."

Silver Arrows finished 2022 season third in the Constructors' Championship and are fighting for the second place this season, but it is not where the team would like to be. The team principal reflected on how quickly his team was dethroned.

"You can see how quickly the pecking order changes. We won eight constructors’ championships in a row, and it has been two years since Red Bull have been taking the trophy home."

Wolff revealed he has a "personal anger and drive" that keep him going to help the seven-time World Champion secure his eighth title.

"But we have to look forward, learn from the past, and the push now is to make Lewis win quickly again. I have a personal anger, and drive to make him win the eighth title because he should have had it."

Even though Wolff believes George Russell is the future of Mercedes, he speaks about the next title for Lewis Hamilton as if Russell was not part of the equation. The team principal explained:

"As a team principal, it is important to be fair and open with both drivers. But there is a big part of us that will always want to be a part of that story in undoing and overcoming 2021."